A warning has been issued over frozen sweetcorn after nine deaths across Europe - including in the UK.

The Food Standards Agency is warning people to be aware of the risk, which could also be linked to other frozen vegetables.

The food has been infected with the Listeria bacteria which can cause listeriosis.

For many people it would cause severe food poisoning, while for some it can prove fatal - particularly those who have weakened immune systems and also the elderly, pregnant women and infants, reports WalesOnline .

In a statement, the European Food Standards Authority said: “Experts used whole genome sequencing to identify the food source, which initially was thought to be limited to frozen corn.

Read More

“On June 29, the Hungarian Food Chain Safety Office banned the marketing of all frozen vegetable and frozen mixed vegetable products produced by the affected plant between August 2016 and June 2018, and ordered their immediate withdrawal and recall.

“This last measure is likely to significantly reduce the risk of human infections and contain the outbreak. All freezing activity at the plant has been stopped.”

What is Listeriosis?

According to the NHS website listeriosis usually goes away on its own, but can cause serious problems if you’re pregnant or have a weak immune system.

Listeriosis is usually caught from eating food containing listeria bacteria.